Portable igniter plant.



No. 636,244. Patented Nov. 7, I899. A. w. cnusav.

PORTABLE IGNITER PLANT.

(Application filed May 90, 1899.) (N o M 0 d a I Wifgesses 6505lgazzjfer 1 y fills @Aflargeys,

l w I 7 I UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

ADELBERT \VILMONT CROSBY, OF GENESEO, KANSAS,

PORTABLE IGNITER PLANT,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,244, dated November'7, 1899.

Application filed May 20, 1899. Serial No. 717,602. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADELBERT WILMONT CROSBY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Geneseo, in the county of Rice and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Portable Igniter Plant, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in portable igniter plantsespecially adapted for lighting cigars or cigarettes; and the object inview is to provide a portable structure adapted to be convenientlyinstalled on a store-counter, table, or other place and to effecteconomy in the generation of the electrical current and in theproduction of gas, which furnishes the lighting medium.

In my apparatus or plant an acetylene-gas generator is employed inconnection with a standard which carries the electrical igniting device,and with the igniter device is associated a gas-valve that operates inunison with the contacts of said igniter, whereby the gas is produced inand supplied by the generator to a controlling-valve, which remainsclosed under normal conditions to cut off the flow of gas and is adaptedto be opened at the period of producing the electric spark from acircuit which includes a battery and an induction-coil.

The invention further consists in the novel combination of elements andin the construction and arrangement of the various parts for service,which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated apreferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a complete plant or apparatus constructed in accordance with theprinciples of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the counteror table fixtures forming a part of my apparatus, Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail View of the electrical igniter and gas-valve appliances. Fig. ais a detail Vertical section of the gas-generator.

The same numerals of reference are used to indicate like andcorresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

To support the fixtures on a store-counter, table, or other structure, Iemploy a base plate 10, which may be fastened in any suit able way, andthis base-plate is provided with a central threaded socket, into whichis screwed the lower threaded end of a tubular standard 11. A stopcock 2is screwed to the upper end of this standard, and this stopcock supportsa bowed or metallic pipe 13, one leg of which is screwed to thestop-cock. A flexible pipe ortube 11 is attached to the other leg of thebowed or arched metallic pipe 13, and this flexible tube depends asuitable distance from the bowed pipe, so as to support the igniter andthe gas-valve in a position where the handle may be reached conveniently by the user. A metallic clip 15 is secured in any suitable wayto the flexible tube let, near the lower end thereof, and from this clipextends a linger16, which is provided at its free extremity with ayieldable metallic contact-plate 17, which forms one of the terminals ofan electric circuit. A curved metallic tube 18 is fastened securely tothe lower extremity of the flexible tube 14, so as to lie below and outof metallic contact with the clip 15, and this metallic tube 18 isinsulated electrically from the clip 15, as at 19.

In the practical construction of the apparatus the flexible tube 14 ismade of rubber or a rubber fabric, and by attaching the clip 15 and themetallic tube 18 to this rubber or fabric tube, so as to leave anintervening space between said parts, they are adapted to be insulatedelectrically one from the other, as hereinafter described, andrepresented more clearly by Fig. 3. Any suitable construction orexpedient may be adopted for the insulation of the metallic parts 15 18from electrical connection one from the other, as will readily beunderstood by a skilled mechanic. The curved metallic tube 18 supportsor carries a valve-shell 20 of compact construction, and in a seat ofthis valve-shell is fitted a turning-plug 21, that is adapted to bemanipulated for opening and closing a gas passage or way through theshell and the plug. To one end of this valve-plug 21 is atvalve isopened.

2 is constructed to receive ahandle 24:, which may be of porcelain orother electrical insulating material, and the head 22 carries theflexible metallic contact-wiper 25, which is adapted to sweep across theelectrical contact 17, so as to temporarily close the electric circuitand to produce a spark on the separation of the two contact-points. Thevalve is held normally in its closed position to cut off the flow of gasto the burner-tip by the weight or gravity of the handle 24, and thecontacts 17 25 are separated or spaced one from the other in a manner tobreak or open the electric circuit when the gas-valve is closed, thusobviating the consumption of gas and the utilization of the current inthe electric circuit. This circuit has its conductors 26 27 carried orextended through the tubular standard 11, the bowed pipe 13, and theflexible tube 14;, and one conductor 26 is in electrical contact withthe clip 15, so that the contact-point 17 will form one terminal of thecircuit, while the other conductor 27 is in electrical contact with thecurved metallic tube 18 for the current to traverse the shell 20, theplug 21, and the head 22 for making the other contact 25 constitute theother terminal of the electric circuit. A battery 28 and an ordinaryinduction-coil 29 are included in this electric circuit for supplyingthe current of requsite strength to produce a well-defined flash orspark on the separation of the terminal contacts, and the conductors ofsaid circuit are carried through the standard 11 and baseplate 10, sothat the battery and coil may be compactly disposed below thestore-counter, table, or other fixture on which my plant is at tached.

One of the especial features of my apparatus or plant resides in theemployment of a portable generator adapted for the production of gaswhich is conveyed to the standard 11, so as to flow therethrough, thepipe 13, and the flexible tube 14- to the gas-valve, and thence to theburnertip. The generator which I employ is indicated more clearly byFig. t and relates to that type known to the art asacetylene-generators, in which the gas is produced by the decompositionof water and a solid-such, for instance, as calcium carbid. This type ofgenerator is especially serviceable in my apparatus, because the gas maybe produced economically and in accord ance with the demands of theservice, and thus the entire plant is constructed for use in localitieswhere there is no available gas-supplyas, for instance, in small townsand villages The generator is indicated in its entirety by the numeral30, and it consists of a tank 31, which is adapted to contain a suitablequantity of water, which forms a bath for the immersion of the invertedgas-bell 32, thus producing a sealed joint between the bell and the tankfor minimizing the escape of gas from the generator. The head of thefloatable bell 32 is provided with a central threaded nipple 33, towhich is secured removably a threaded cap 34-. Through this cap passesthe upper extremity of a threaded stem 35, which is adapted to work in anut 36 of said cap 34, and this threaded stem is thus made adjustablelongitudinally in the screw-cap. The stem extends downwardly into thel'loatable gas-bell 32, and it carries a carbid vessel 87 of anysuitable construction, which vessel is adapted to travel with the belland to enter the water which is contained in the tank 31. The gas fromthe generator is conveyed through a pipe 38, which extends above thewater seal and has one end protruding through the tank 31 below thelimit of downward travel of said bell. A flexible hose 30 has its lowerend coupled at 40 to the protruding end of the gas-pipe, and theopposite end of said flexible hose is coupled at 41 to the lower part ofthe tubular standard 11.

The gas-generator of an apparatus which I havein service is of verycompact construc tion, the same being about six inches in diameter andsixteen inches high, and said generator is capable of producing an amplesupply of gas for use at the burner for a period of from one to threeweeks without renewing the carbid charge, so that it will be at onceapparent that the generator produces the gas very economically and withminimum attention. By reason of the compact construction of thegenerator it is capable of being stored beneath the counter or a tablealong with the battery and induction-coilof the electric circuit.Economy in the consumption of gas and in the energy generated by theelectric battery is obtained by having the contact points of theelectric circuit normally free to maintain the circuit in an open orbroken condition and by cutting off the low of gas to the burner-tip, sothat it is not necessary to constantly maintain a flame or jet at theburner-tip.

The operation may be described as follow '2 The apparatus or planthaving been installed as herein described, the cap is removed from thegenerator, together with the stem 35 and the carbid vessel. A charge ofcalcium carbid or other suitable material is placed in the vessel andthe elements are re placed on the generator in a position for the vessel37 to depend within the i'loatable bell. As the bell settles slowly inthe bath contained within the generator tank, the carbid vessel 37 isimmersed in the water, which at once attacks the carbid, so thatacetylenegas is generated by the decomposition of the carbid and water.The gas accumulates in the bell and raises the latter within the tankuntil the carbid vessel is withdrawn from the water-bath and the gas isfree to flow through the hose 39, the tubular standard, and the pipes 13M to the valve-shell, the stop-cock 12 being opened.

In using the device the operator grasps the handle 24 and turns thelatter for the wiper" contact 25 to approach the other contact 17 and inthis manipulation of the handle the valve-plug 21 is turned for the gasto pass through the hollow head 22 and into the burner tip 23, thusadmitting gas to the burner. As the handle continues to move thewiper-contact 25 sweeps clear of the contact 17, and the suddenseparation of the two spring-contacts 25 produces an electric spark,which ignites the gas that issues from the burner-tip 23. The operatormay now light the cigar or cigarette from the flame produced at theburner-tip by the consumption of acetylene gas, and when the operatorreleases the handle the weight or gravity thereof restores thecontact-wiper 25 to its normal position and operates the valve-plug 21to cut ofl the flow of gas.

It is evident that the stop-cock 12 may be manipulated to prevent thegas from flowing from the generator to the burner-tip in case it isdesired to recharge the generator or to repair any of the parts of theapparatus.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction within the scope of the appended claim may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is The combinationwith a casing, of a tubular standard fixed to the casing and having aflexible connection at its upper end, a rigid tube fixed to the flexibleconnection, a clampingcollar adapted to hold the flexible connectionupon the tube, an extension of the collar having an electrical terminal,a burner pivoted to the rigid tube and communicating therewith, anelectrical terminal carried by the burner and adapted for engagementwith the first named terminal when the burner is moved upon its pivot, agas-supply within the casing and connected with the tubular standard tosupply gas to the burner, and a source of electricity within the casingand having conducting-wires passed through the standard and its flexibleconnection and connected with the terminals.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ADELBERT WILMONT CROSBY.

Witnesses:

LESTER E. SMITH, A. B. FALLIS.

